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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — a division
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. root — the cause
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. root — of a word
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cue — for pool
  17. file — a document
  18. cue — a hint
  19. root — of a plant
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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