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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pop — to visit
  8. roll — a list
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — a division
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. roll — a cake
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cold — not warm

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