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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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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: root · mark · row · cell · fall · deal · mate · wave

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. row — a line
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mark — a grade
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — the season
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fall — to drop

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