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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. drill — army training
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — the cause
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — happy
  15. branch — a division
  16. land — a country
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fall — the season
  19. root — of a word
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  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