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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 · pit · root · press · rest · date · land · calf

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — in a race
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. land — a country
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. rest — a break
  23. pit — a hole
  24. press — newspapers

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