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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — a phone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — a break
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — in biology
  21. root — of a word
  22. pass — a permit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cell — in a prison

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