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

Word bank: bear · root · field · land · key · branch · stick · snap

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to click
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. root — of a word
  14. land — a country
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. key — in music
  18. field — a subject
  19. land — ground
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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