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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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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: cold · root · stem · trunk · pitcher · cue · kid · staff

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — a signal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. trunk — of a car

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