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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cue — a hint
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bank — for money
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bank — of a river
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. root — the cause
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — of a word
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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