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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pit — in a race
  13. branch — a division
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — the cause
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — a hat
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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