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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stock — shares
  3. root — of a word
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. root — the cause
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lie — an untruth

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