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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fall — the season
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — thin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — the cause
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — of a king
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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