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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stock — goods
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — of a word
  7. can — to be able to
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. clip — to cut
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — a video
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. can — a tin

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