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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. hand — help
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. capital — a city
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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