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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. root — of a word
  3. charge — a price
  4. stem — to come from
  5. root — the cause
  6. charge — electricity
  7. perch — the fish
  8. shower — to wash
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — in control
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com