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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — goods
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — shares
  22. sharp — clever
  23. root — of a word
  24. present — there

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