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

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. spell — magic
  8. spring — a coil
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spring — of water
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spring — the season
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — to come from

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