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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — completely
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of a car

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