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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. field — a subject
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. root — of a plant
  9. field — for sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — a break
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — the cause
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — of a word

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