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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. branch — a division
  3. bank — of a river
  4. scale — size or range
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bank — for money
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — magic
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bank — for money
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — after costs

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