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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pound — a weight
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — magic
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. root — of a word
  10. ground — a position
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — the cause
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — of water
  19. suit — to fit
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — the earth
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — a coil
  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