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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. root — of a word
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. root — the cause
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to bend

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