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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.

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: pop · root · game · stem · fall · coach · chip · march

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — to come from
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — of a word
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — to eat
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a plant
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pop — soda
  24. chip — in a computer

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