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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 120 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. capital — money
  3. mug — to rob
  4. suit — to fit
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — a cup
  7. root — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. suit — clothes
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ground — a position
  12. root — the cause
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mug — a face
  24. staff — employees

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