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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rule — a law
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. spring — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — of a plant
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — a coil
  22. toast — bread
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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