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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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468
Word bank
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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — bread
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — a division
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. root — the cause
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. root — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. craft — a skill
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — boats
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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