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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: stem · wound · board · clip · ground · chip · bear · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bear — the animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — crushed
  6. board — a committee
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ground — a position
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — the earth
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. board — to get on
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bear — the animal

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