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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. root — of a plant
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lie — to recline
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a word
  16. bound — certain
  17. squash — to crush
  18. root — the cause
  19. squash — the sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. march — music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spell — magic

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