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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · cue · leaves · root · press · stem · march · sharp

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. press — to push
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. cue — for pool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a ring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — of a word
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — to come from
  23. band — a music group
  24. cue — a hint

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