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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — a song
  6. current — electric
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — a path
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. perch — the fish
  18. current — happening now
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. current — of water
  23. track — to keep track
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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