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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spring — of water
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — in sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. root — of a word
  14. track — to keep track
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — 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