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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stem — to come from
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. root — of a word
  9. ground — a position
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — a container
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. root — the cause
  18. face — to confront
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — magic
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — in a tire

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