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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — to come down
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. root — the cause
  15. face — to confront
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — a country
  24. root — of a word

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