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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. scale — in music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — electricity
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — a price
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. root — the cause
  18. snap — to click
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — help
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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