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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bore — to drill
  10. vault — a safe
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cold — an illness
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — a division
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bore — to tire
  24. march — the month

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