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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — of law
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. board — to get on
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — a committee
  23. staff — employees
  24. root — the cause

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