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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a ring
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a word
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. net — after costs
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a trace

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