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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a line of people
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. file — a document
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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