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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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. branch — of a bank
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. drill — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fall — the season
  8. root — of a plant
  9. drill — a practice
  10. race — a contest
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. branch — a division
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pass — a permit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — a horse colour

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