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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. root — of a word
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — crushed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — the season
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — to come from
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. degree — temperature
  20. root — the cause
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — 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