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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a path
  5. root — the cause
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — a song
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — a division
  11. root — of a word
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fine — high quality
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cell — in a prison

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