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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: branch · land · rash · root · face · cabinet · race · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. root — of a word
  8. race — humankind
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. face — part of the head
  13. land — to come down
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. rash — hasty
  17. root — the cause
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. race — a contest
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rash — a series

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