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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. root — of a word
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — to confront
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — the cause
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. branch — a division
  24. root — of a plant

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