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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — the cause
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bank — of a river
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — exactly

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