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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. root — of a word
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. capital — money
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — the cause
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — letters
  17. capital — a city
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — of a king

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