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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. row — to paddle
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. pop — soda
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. press — a publisher
  11. scale — size or range
  12. press — newspapers
  13. branch — a division
  14. pop — to visit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. pop — music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. root — the cause

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