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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cue — for pool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. root — of a word
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — the cause
  11. cue — a signal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rash — a series
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — a division
  22. rest — a break
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. season — of the year

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