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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: bear · land · bank · stem · content · root · field · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — the amount
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. land — a country
  6. root — the cause
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — happy
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a word
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — farmland

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