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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. deal — to handle
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. root — the cause
  16. cue — for pool
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — wild animals
  19. root — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. trunk — of a car

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