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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: fall · stem · content · bowl · capital · plane · root · mark

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. content — the amount
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. capital — a city
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — the cause
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fall — the season
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — happy

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