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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a word
  6. bound — certain
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. root — the cause
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bound — obliged

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