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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — a division
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — of a word
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — a position
  19. charge — a price
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — to turn a key

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