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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 · kid · firm · hide · stem · wind · deal · mine

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. deal — to handle
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stem — to come from
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — for digging
  15. firm — steady
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — decided
  21. root — of a plant
  22. kid — child
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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