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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tube — a container
  9. degree — from a university
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tube — the underground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — temperature
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. shower — to wash
  17. root — of a word
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. prune — to trim

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