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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — a container
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — to protest
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. object — an aim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. charge — electricity
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. root — of a word
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. root — the cause
  23. charge — in control
  24. branch — of a tree

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