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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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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 · perch · kid · race · land · branch · spell · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. race — a contest
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — the cause
  14. pop — soda
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — to tease
  17. root — of a word
  18. kid — child
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — humankind
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pop — music

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