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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — a division
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a ring
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spell — a short time

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