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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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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: stem · root · court · dip · arm · press · pop · wave

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. court — of law
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — of a word
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — newspapers
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — a publisher

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