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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. root — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — the cause
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. branch — a division
  9. key — the most important part
  10. root — of a word
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — to push
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. press — newspapers
  22. file — a line of people
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a tool

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