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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: ball · root · current · hide · fall · degree · stem · clip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ball — a dance
  5. current — of water
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — of a plant
  12. degree — from a university
  13. root — of a word
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. degree — an amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. degree — temperature
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — electric
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. root — the cause
  24. clip — for paper

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