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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — of a word
  7. clip — for paper
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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