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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 · branch · race · lean · wind · net · rock · land

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. land — a country
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. race — a contest
  14. rock — music
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — the cause
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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