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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a plant
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. root — the cause
  16. branch — a division
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bowl — a football final

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