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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: pound · root · pit · toast · bat · stem · nail · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bat — the animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. toast — bread
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pit — a hole
  21. root — of a word
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — a group

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