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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. root — of a plant
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. track — a song
  7. root — the cause
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — an aim
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mug — a face
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tear — from crying
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wax — to grow
  19. root — of a word
  20. track — a path
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. mug — to rob

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