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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: object · race · lean · hand · deal · stem · mine · root

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — to handle
  5. object — a thing
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — thin
  8. root — the cause
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — to bend
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. object — to protest
  20. hand — help
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — in cards

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