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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. swing — music
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — to keep track
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — the cause
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spring — of water
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — a publisher
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — a path
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. press — to push

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