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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: staff · cold · root · fall · pound · stem · calf · pitch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — the season
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a word
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. root — the cause
  24. stem — a stem cell

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