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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — the tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. board — to get on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — the cause
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. drill — army training
  17. cap — a lid
  18. root — of a word
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — completely
  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