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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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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: straw · root · stem · branch · row · squash · bear · pound

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — to come from
  8. root — of a word
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. branch — a division
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. root — the cause

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