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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. clip — a video
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bore — to tire
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — the season
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — a grade
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. court — of a king

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