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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. branch — a division
  5. spring — of water
  6. root — of a word
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — of law
  9. net — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — of a king
  15. root — the cause
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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