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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: pop · fine · stem · last · bank · hand · root · object

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — all right
  4. root — of a word
  5. bank — for money
  6. object — an aim
  7. bank — for money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. last — to go on
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pop — soda
  12. hand — in cards
  13. object — to protest
  14. pop — music
  15. last — final
  16. root — the cause
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — to visit
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — part of the body

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