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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — to come from
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. press — a publisher
  14. march — music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — a city
  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