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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: file · present · ruler · pitch · branch · root · roll · chip

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chip — to eat
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chip — for betting
  7. present — there
  8. roll — a cake
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a document
  19. roll — a list
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. root — the cause
  24. roll — on a roll

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