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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 120 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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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: lean · degree · stand · lash · stem · net · chest · root

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. net — in sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — thin
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stand — to bear
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. root — the cause
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. net — after costs
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stem — a stem cell

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