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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — wild animals
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bark — to shout
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. branch — a division
  24. ground — a position

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