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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: current · root · bulb · charge · tear · cold · stem · sharp

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. root — the cause
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — electricity
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. charge — a price
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — happening now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cold — an illness
  19. charge — in control
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — to rip

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