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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. root — of a word
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — army training
  17. bass — low music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pound — to hit hard

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