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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: net · root · bowl · date · stem · cap · wake · bat

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. net — for catching
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. root — of a word

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