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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. file — a document
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. root — the cause
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — to eat
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — a path
  16. season — of the year
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — to add flavour

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