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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — the month
  4. root — the cause
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mark — a grade
  18. present — there
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. branch — a division

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