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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — to come from
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitch — completely
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. net — in sport

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