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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — a division
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — the month

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