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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. clip — a video
  5. root — of a plant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stand — to bear
  23. root — the cause
  24. bowl — a football final

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