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

Word bank: stick · bank · mark · content · hand · root

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — help
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — the amount
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. bank — for money
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bank — of a river
  18. root — the cause

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