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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. root — of a plant
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — to grow
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — of a word
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mug — a cup
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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