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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cue — for pool
  4. root — the cause
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. root — of a plant
  10. spring — of water
  11. root — of a word
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — the season
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — a kind of play

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