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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — shares
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. root — of a word
  24. prune — to trim

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