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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. field — farmland
  8. ball — a great time
  9. field — a subject
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — for sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. branch — a division
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — boats
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. root — the cause
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. branch — of a tree

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