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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. root — the cause
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mate — a friend
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — a partner
  24. staff — a stick

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