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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · stem · root · chest · race · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. race — a contest
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. file — a tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. race — humankind
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. race — the arms race
  17. root — of a word
  18. chest — of your body

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