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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. root — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. track — to keep track
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — a division
  19. march — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. staff — employees

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