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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. season — of the year
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — soda
  8. root — the cause
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — in sport
  14. pop — music
  15. root — of a word
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spring — the season

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