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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: stem · prune · last · spell · temple · root · board · foot

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. board — a committee
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — to come from
  13. root — of a word
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. spell — a short time
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spell — magic
  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