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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — to come from
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. root — the cause
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. deal — to handle
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. capital — a city
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. root — of a word
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. root — of a plant
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fork — in a road
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. nail — for a hammer

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