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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. capital — money
  6. mine — for digging
  7. capital — a city
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. root — of a word
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — a series
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — the time now
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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