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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · racket · bank · stem · file · can · root · sharp

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bank — for money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. sharp — clever
  21. root — the cause
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a line of people

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