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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. root — the cause
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stem — to come from
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. root — of a word
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — to eat
  19. branch — a division
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. press — to push
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. press — newspapers

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