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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · current · stem · kid · land · net · root · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. root — of a plant
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — ground
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — a country

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