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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. game — a match
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. root — of a word
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — the cause
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. root — 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