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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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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: stem · cue · bank · stock · temple · root · prune · fork

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bank — for money
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cue — for pool
  12. root — the cause
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — a signal
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — goods
  24. bank — for money

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