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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. root — of a word
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — a phone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — a cake
  24. trunk — of a tree

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