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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · arm · row · rash · root · bowl · stem

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fine — high quality
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. row — a line
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — all right
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — of water
  24. fine — a penalty

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