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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. march — music
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — of a word
  5. land — ground
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — a thing
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pop — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. object — to protest
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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