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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 124 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — a subject
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. root — of a word
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — the fish
  24. root — the cause

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