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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. root — the cause
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — a city
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pit — a hole
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. root — of a word
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ground — the earth
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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