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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: hand · stem · tube · root · leaves · can · fan · roll

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — help
  3. roll — a list
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — the cause
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — a container

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