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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — the most important part
  5. branch — a division
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — for a lock
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. root — the cause
  14. mate — a partner
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bound — certain
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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