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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. root — the cause
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — the amount
  16. can — to be able to
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — money
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — a tin
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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