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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: bowl · stem · row · root · wound · racket · pitch · staff

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stem — to come from
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — completely
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. staff — employees

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