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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. root — the cause
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. root — of a word
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rock — a stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — finally
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — final

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