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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — final
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spell — magic
  24. mark — a trace

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