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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mate — a friend
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bound — certain
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — in music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — a division
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wound — an injury
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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