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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — for golf
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. club — a group
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. clip — a video
  14. root — the cause
  15. club — for dancing
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — a measure
  22. root — of a word
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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