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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 116 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: stem · snap · root · cold · plane · ball · object · wake

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — not warm
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. object — a thing
  8. root — of a word
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. object — to protest
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. root — the cause

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