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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 120 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: cold · arm · kid · rule · root · cabinet · rash · stem

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — not warm
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. cold — an illness

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