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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. root — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. present — there
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. present — a gift
  13. press — to push
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. root — the cause
  20. press — a publisher
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. saw — the tool

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