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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. press — to push
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. file — a tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. root — the cause
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. file — a document
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stem — a stem cell

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