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

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — the cause
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. branch — a division
  14. root — of a plant
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — to grow
  21. root — of a word
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. trunk — of a car

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