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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rock — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. root — the cause
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. season — of the year
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — a trace

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