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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. spell — magic
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bound — certain
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lie — to recline
  17. branch — a division
  18. track — a song
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. root — the cause

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