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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a friend
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. root — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. game — wild animals
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — a division

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