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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · trunk · cold · fine · bay · leaves · branch · root

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fine — all right
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — of a plant
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — of a word
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mug — a face
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — the cause
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — to rob

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