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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. game — wild animals
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mug — a face
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spring — a coil
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — in sport
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — a match
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. root — of a word
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. net — after costs

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