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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. root — the cause
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — soda
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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