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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mark — a grade
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — the cause
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fork — in a road

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