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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. pit — a hole
  16. root — the cause
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — a publisher

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