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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — a phone
  4. root — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. root — the cause
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. root — of a word
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fine — all right
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. land — to come down

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