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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. band — a music group
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. staff — employees
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. band — a ring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — for digging
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. clip — a video

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