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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. squash — to crush
  4. scale — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. root — the cause
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. root — of a plant
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stem — to come from

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