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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — of water
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. present — there
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kid — child
  16. root — the cause
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. present — the time now
  22. mark — a trace
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — a subject

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