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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. scale — size or range
  3. root — of a word
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — of water
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. root — of a plant
  11. key — the most important part
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. clip — a video
  16. root — the cause
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rash — on the skin

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