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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — the underground
  5. content — the amount
  6. tube — a container
  7. rock — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. scale — size or range
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — of a word
  17. dip — to sink
  18. root — the cause
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — of a tree

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