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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. root — the cause
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — a division
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — letters
  24. season — in sport

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