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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — a thing
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. root — of a word
  8. face — to confront
  9. root — the cause
  10. chest — a box
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. object — to protest
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — low music
  21. object — an aim
  22. bank — for money
  23. face — to point toward
  24. root — of a plant

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