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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. root — the cause
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — for paper
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. branch — a division
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — of water
  16. root — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. charge — a price
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. charge — electricity

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