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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: root · pit · cap · bear · fork · stem · snap · arm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — the cause
  4. cap — a hat
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cap — of ice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fork — in a road
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — a garden tool

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