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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mug — to rob
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — a break
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. root — of a word
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rest — what's left

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