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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: spell · bat · field · root · spring · stem · hand · safe

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — magic
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — for sport
  11. hand — help
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — of water
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spring — the season

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