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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. root — of a word
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. root — the cause
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wake — a trail
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. branch — a division
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — in football
  24. wake — before a funeral

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