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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: wake · root · cap · bass · mark · hand · stem · dip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. root — of a word
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — low music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — help
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. root — the cause
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to sink

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