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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — a song
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. root — of a word
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rock — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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