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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — to come from
  3. root — the cause
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. can — to be able to
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — hasty
  12. root — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fine — all right
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. fine — high quality
  24. nail — for a hammer

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