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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. root — of a word
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cap — a lid
  9. toast — bread
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cap — of ice
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — a practice
  18. field — a subject
  19. root — the cause
  20. drill — the tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — army training
  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