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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. root — of a plant
  3. capital — money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — a song
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. drill — the tool

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