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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: band · chest · root · squash · bulb · straw · stem · board

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. board — a committee
  4. band — a music group
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. band — a ring
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — to get on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. squash — to crush
  18. root — the cause
  19. bulb — for light
  20. root — of a word
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chest — of your 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