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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. clip — for paper
  5. shower — to wash
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. root — of a word
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. clip — a video
  13. charge — a price
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. branch — a division
  20. root — of a plant
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cell — in biology
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — a trail

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