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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — a path
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. root — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a word
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a song
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — goods
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. scale — in music
  22. stock — shares
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a document

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