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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — help
  5. rest — what's left
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spring — a coil
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. swing — to play on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rest — a break
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. root — the cause
  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