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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. root — the cause
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. root — of a word
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — in football
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. net — in sport

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