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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.

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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: file · root · racket · club · spell · bat · stem · patient

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — magic
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for golf
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. file — a document
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — a short time
  20. root — of a word
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spell — letters
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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