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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. staff — employees
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. root — the cause
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. root — of a word
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. staff — employees
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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