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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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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: chest · bat · temple · row · ground · root · spell · lean

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — thin
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bat — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — a box
  20. root — of a word
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spell — letters
  23. lean — to bend
  24. temple — side of the head

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