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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — to push
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mate — a partner
  13. game — wild animals
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — a publisher
  18. track — a path
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mate — a friend

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