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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — money
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cap — of ice
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bore — to tire
  12. root — of a plant
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. root — the cause
  19. cap — a lid
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bark — to shout

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