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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — low music
  9. court — of law
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — a video
  13. bass — the fish
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. court — of a king
  17. rock — music
  18. clip — to cut

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