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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. charge — electricity
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. firm — steady
  13. root — the cause
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. charge — in control
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. charge — a price
  24. season — in sport

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