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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. firm — decided
  3. current — of water
  4. firm — steady
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. root — of a word
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. branch — a division
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — electric
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — in a race
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — a subject
  21. current — happening now
  22. root — the cause
  23. cell — a phone
  24. root — of a plant

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