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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — soda
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. content — the amount
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. band — a music group
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — of a plant
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — happy
  24. rash — hasty

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