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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — thin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — the cause
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — a short time
  23. root — of a word
  24. stem — a stem cell

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