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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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 — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. mark — a grade
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. field — a subject
  7. season — of the year
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitch — completely
  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