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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. root — of a word
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spring — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chest — a box
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bore — to drill
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — the season
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. root — of a plant

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