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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — for catching
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. root — the cause

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