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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. root — of a plant
  3. squash — to crush
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. squash — the sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — a jug

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