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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — obliged
  5. root — of a word
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — certain
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — the cause
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. season — in sport

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