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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — to come from
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — the cause
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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