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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rock — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — happening now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. roll — a cake
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a signal
  15. roll — a list
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. root — of a word
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. root — the cause
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cue — for pool

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