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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: racket · pop · stem · wax · fine · cell · rest · root

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — the cause
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pop — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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