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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · swing · file · spring · leaves · root · rule

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rule — a law
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. root — of a word
  10. swing — to play on
  11. root — the cause
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. root — of a plant
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — government
  20. stem — to come from
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. file — a tool

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