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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — a song
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — the season
  21. staff — a stick
  22. root — of a word
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — a partner

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