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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cap — a lid
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. track — a path
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cap — of ice
  9. net — after costs
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cap — a hat
  12. net — for catching
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. net — in sport
  15. track — a song
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — to keep track
  19. root — the cause
  20. staff — employees
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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