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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — of a plant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — in football
  11. root — the cause
  12. mine — for digging
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. season — of the year
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — an explosive

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