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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: root · kick · dip · cell · stem · mate · face · bound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. bound — tied together
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. face — to confront
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. root — the cause
  15. mate — to breed
  16. root — of a word
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cell — in biology
  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