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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. lie — to recline
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tube — a container
  15. bore — to tire
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a committee
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a word
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tube — in a tire

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