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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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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: land · board · root · stem · bulb · object · pitcher · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — to get on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. object — a thing
  11. root — the cause
  12. board — a committee
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — to come from
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — ground

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