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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. last — finally
  2. root — of a word
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of a king
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — a division
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stand — to bear
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — the cause
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. leaves — 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