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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. rush — hurry
  4. branch — a division
  5. root — of a plant
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — a country
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. root — the cause
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — of a word
  24. trunk — of a tree

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