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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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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: cell · track · chip · wound · leaves · root · stem · wind

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — a path
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — to eat
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. track — a song
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cell — a phone

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