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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. root — of a word
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. tear — to rip
  10. board — to get on
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. board — a committee
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wave — with your hand

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