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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stand — to bear
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a word
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stand — for spectators

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