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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — certain
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. root — of a plant
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — a division
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. object — to protest
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. net — after costs
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. object — a thing

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