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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. root — the cause
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. root — of a word
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ground — crushed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — child
  15. ground — the earth
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — to tease
  24. root — of a plant

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