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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 · squash · branch · pound · rest · root · race · can

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bear — the animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. can — to be able to
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. can — a tin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — a division
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — a break
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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