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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: wound · mark · root · date · race · stem · spring · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — of water
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. root — the cause
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spring — the season
  11. root — of a word
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — a coil

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