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

Word bank: stem · press · firm · root · dip · prune · bulb · pitcher

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — to come from
  4. root — of a word
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. firm — a company
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. firm — decided
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — newspapers
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. root — the cause
  24. firm — steady

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