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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — a break
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. root — the cause
  7. bank — of a river
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — magic
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bank — for money

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