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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. root — the cause
  3. roll — a list
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. plane — a tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. roll — a cake
  8. net — in sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chip — to eat
  11. kid — child
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. branch — a division
  14. root — of a plant
  15. band — a ring
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. net — for catching
  18. root — of a word
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — after costs
  24. chip — for betting

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