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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — a country
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. root — the cause
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. root — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pit — a hole
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — a position
  19. land — to come down
  20. ground — crushed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lean — thin

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