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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: spring · coach · face · perch · net · drill · branch · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. drill — army training
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — a practice
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — after costs
  20. spring — of water
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — a coil

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