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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. root — the cause
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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