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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rule — government
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bat — the animal
  6. root — of a word
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bound — certain
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bound — tied together
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — obliged
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rule — a law
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. file — a document

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