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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. land — ground
  3. root — of a word
  4. content — happy
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — to come down
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. land — a country
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — the animal

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