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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. branch — a division
  3. root — the cause
  4. can — to be able to
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a ring
  14. root — of a word
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. can — a tin
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tube — a container

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