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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — shares
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — a division
  17. root — of a word
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. root — the cause
  24. nail — for a hammer

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