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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — the cause
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — of a word
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cue — a hint
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — a box
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. current — happening now
  24. chest — of your body

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