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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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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 · wind · mate · bowl · perch · root · stem · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. root — of a word
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mate — a partner
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — the cause
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. dip — to sink
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — a stem cell

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