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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bank — of a river
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. root — of a word
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a face
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mug — to rob
  22. land — to come down
  23. root — the cause
  24. chair — to sit on

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