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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 124 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — of a word
  9. last — finally
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. root — of a plant
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stem — to come from
  24. last — final

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