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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — of a word
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to bend
  10. root — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. capital — a city
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — the cause
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stock — goods
  21. branch — a division
  22. capital — money
  23. band — a music group
  24. lean — thin

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