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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — of a king
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — to go on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — of law
  15. press — to push
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — for sport
  18. land — ground
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. press — a publisher
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — final
  24. land — a country

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