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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: charge · stem · prune · root · net · stand · content · band

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. band — a music group
  12. charge — a price
  13. stem — to come from
  14. net — in sport
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — the amount
  17. band — a ring
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — of a word

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