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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · board · court · root · pitcher · bat · tube · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. board — to get on
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tube — the underground
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. root — the cause
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. court — for sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — an agreement

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