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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: cell · root · patient · mate · dip · lie · tube · press

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. press — a publisher
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. root — the cause
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — a container
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lie — to recline
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — in biology
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. press — to push
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mate — a friend

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