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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a plant
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — of a word
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — help
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — the cause
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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