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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. root — the cause
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — of a word
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to bend
  16. drill — a practice
  17. net — after costs
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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