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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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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: rush · nail · mate · court · stem · last · root · pass

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — of a king
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — final
  10. stem — to come from
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — a permit
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — finally
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — to breed
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a partner
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — on a finger

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