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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — a division
  9. ground — a position
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a plant
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. root — the cause
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — a hat

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