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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: fall · racket · stem · mug · foot · bat · root · tube

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — the season
  5. tube — a container
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — to come from
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. racket — for tennis

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