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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — to bear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stem — to come from
  10. root — the cause
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — a coil
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — the season
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. root — of a plant

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