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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: staff · cell · cold · deal · pitcher · root · stem · current

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cell — in biology
  7. current — of water
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cell — a phone
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — of a plant

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