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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: temple · board · bass · chest · spring · stem · root · kick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. root — the cause
  4. spring — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — in football
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — a box
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — a coil
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. board — a committee
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — to get on
  22. bass — low music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bass — 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