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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mine — for digging
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — a law
  17. root — of a word
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — government
  21. tear — to rip
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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