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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. content — happy
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. last — final
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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