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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — final
  5. branch — a division
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pop — to visit
  11. root — the cause
  12. chip — to eat
  13. track — a song
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. root — of a word
  18. pop — soda
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — music

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