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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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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — child
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bank — for money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bank — for money
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kid — to tease
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chip — for betting

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