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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. firm — decided
  5. root — of a plant
  6. firm — steady
  7. spring — of water
  8. track — to keep track
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. game — a match
  24. spring — the season

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