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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. swing — to play on
  7. root — of a plant
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pound — a weight
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. toast — bread

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