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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. snap — to click
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — the cause
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — to come from
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chair — a leader
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

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