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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. swing — music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. face — to confront
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — thin
  19. root — of a word
  20. swing — to play on
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to point toward
  24. march — the month

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