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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. root — the cause
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. branch — a division
  18. lean — thin
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. root — of a word
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bear — to put up with

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