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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: branch · spell · tube · mug · land · calf · fan · root

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — a country
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — ground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. branch — a division

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