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

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — after costs
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. content — the amount
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — a gift
  15. foot — a measure
  16. net — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. root — of a plant
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — to come from
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stem — a stem cell

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