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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. root — of a word
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. foot — a measure
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. press — to push
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spring — the season
  15. root — the cause
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spring — a coil
  19. press — newspapers
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spring — of water
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ground — a position

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