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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: toast · root · board · branch · kick · tear · straw · patient

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. toast — bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. root — the cause
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. root — of a plant
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. root — of a word
  15. board — to get on
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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