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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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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 · spring · perch · stand · fork · fall · root · race

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. race — humankind
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — the season
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stem — to come from
  13. root — of a word
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fall — the season
  16. stand — to bear
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — a contest
  19. root — of a plant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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