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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. scale — in music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. root — of a word
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — to bear

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