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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. current — electric
  5. branch — a division
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spell — magic
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — of water
  13. root — of a plant
  14. current — happening now
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spell — letters
  17. root — the cause
  18. spell — a short time

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