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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: bowl · lie · sharp · bear · root · kick · stem · branch

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. root — of a word
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — in football
  24. root — the cause

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