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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — soda
  5. root — of a plant
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. suit — to fit
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — to come from
  11. suit — in cards
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. suit — clothes
  17. band — a music group
  18. pop — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — to visit
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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