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

Word bank: root · stem · swing · face · rule · pitcher · spring · bay

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. spring — of water
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — a law
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — to come from
  12. face — to confront
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. root — of a word
  21. rule — government
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. face — to point toward

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