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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. capital — money
  22. cue — a signal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cue — a hint

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