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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fine — high quality
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. plane — in geometry

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