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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kid — to tease
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mine — an explosive

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