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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. track — a song
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. track — to keep track
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. land — to come down
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — ground
  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