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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: clip · root · bass · rock · court · stem · straw · pitch

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. root — of a word
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bass — the fish
  18. clip — a video
  19. rock — a stone
  20. root — the cause
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — to cut

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