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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. craft — a skill
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. craft — boats
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. root — of a word
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — a division
  23. root — the cause
  24. bowl — to roll

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