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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: row · ground · mine · perch · stem · root · stand · fall

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ground — a position
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — to paddle
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — the season
  24. row — a line

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