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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — farmland
  4. root — the cause
  5. bank — for money
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. root — of a plant
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — for sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bank — of a river

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