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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a list
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bound — certain
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mate — to breed
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spring — the season
  17. root — the cause
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mate — a friend
  21. root — of a word
  22. spring — of water
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — in geometry

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