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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. root — of a word
  6. clip — a video
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. clip — to cut
  11. row — a line
  12. present — the time now
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. present — there
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — a division
  19. present — a gift
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. track — a path
  24. branch — of a tree

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