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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: march · squash · ground · root · mouse · cold · track · stem

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — a position
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — of a word
  24. track — to keep track

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