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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. squash — to crush
  3. root — of a word
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — for sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. field — farmland
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. branch — a division
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mate — to breed

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