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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 116 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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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: mine · stem · mate · root · race · tear · branch · snap

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — of a word
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. snap — to click
  23. tear — from crying
  24. race — humankind

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