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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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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 · root · shower · lean · temple · arm · wax · content

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. root — the cause
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — to come from
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — rain
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — thin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. content — the amount
  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