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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 116 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: spring · net · cue · stem · ground · stand · root · wind

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stand — to bear
  11. net — after costs
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stand — for spectators

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