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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rule — a law
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ground — crushed
  15. season — of the year
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tube — a container
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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