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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 120 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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — of a plant

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