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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. last — final
  6. land — to come down
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — a division
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a word
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. root — the cause

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