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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — of a word
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — wild animals
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — a match
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rest — what's left
  24. root — the cause

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