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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 120 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 · spell · drill · stock · clip · branch · deal · object

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. object — an aim
  4. stock — shares
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — magic
  7. deal — to handle
  8. root — of a word
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — letters
  12. drill — army training
  13. root — the cause
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — a short time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — the tool
  22. object — to protest
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — for paper

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