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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. root — of a word
  7. rule — a law
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bank — of a river
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — to come from
  18. root — the cause
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — a song
  21. content — the amount
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — a stem cell

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