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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. press — to push
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stem — to come from
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — of a word
  20. drill — army training
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — a publisher

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