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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 116 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. lean — to bend
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — of a plant
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. drill — a practice
  17. craft — boats
  18. present — there
  19. lean — thin
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — army training
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — a gift
  24. lean — to rest against

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