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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · wave · branch · content · pop · coach

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pop — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. root — the cause
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. branch — of a tree

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