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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. root — the cause
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. file — a line of people
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — of a word
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — a division
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rule — government

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