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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: branch · pit · season · content · land · root · bore · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — happy
  7. land — a country
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pit — in a race
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. season — in sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pit — a hole
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. root — of a word
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bore — to tire

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