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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a line
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — electric
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ball — a great time
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tube — a container
  14. dip — to sink
  15. saw — the tool
  16. root — of a word
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. current — of water
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. root — the cause
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — in a tire

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