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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. capital — a city
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — the fish
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. snap — to click
  12. mate — a friend
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — money
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — the cause
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — of a word

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