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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 · wound · pop · foot · coach · root · stem · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to sink
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — the cause
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — the season
  22. pop — music
  23. foot — a measure
  24. dip — to dunk

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