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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — a break
  8. root — of a word
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — magic
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — letters
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. root — the cause
  22. land — to come down
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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