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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. root — of a plant
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. drill — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. current — happening now
  12. root — the cause
  13. current — electric
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. shower — to wash
  16. scale — size or range
  17. branch — a division
  18. scale — in music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — of a bank

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