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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hand — in cards
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — of a word
  5. mark — a trace
  6. current — of water
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hand — help
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — the cause
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — to go on
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. last — final
  21. current — happening now
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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