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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. board — to get on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — to grow
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to click
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — of a plant

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