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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. root — of a word
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ball — a great time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. present — the time now
  22. ball — a dance
  23. root — the cause
  24. bound — tied together

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