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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — of ice
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — final
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — shares
  16. root — the cause
  17. stock — goods
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — help

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