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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. ground — a position
  3. dip — to sink
  4. root — the cause
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. race — the arms race
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — of a word
  20. face — part of the head
  21. race — a contest
  22. stem — to come from
  23. face — to confront
  24. race — humankind

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