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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bass — low music
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — the cause
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — a division
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — to go on
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. craft — boats
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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