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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rest — what's left
  6. root — of a word
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — a hat
  12. root — the cause
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — in cards
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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