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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 124 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 the members were all out of tune.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lean — to bend
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — a break
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. press — to push
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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