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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: root · cold · branch · firm · rest · leaves · band · jam

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. root — the cause
  10. rest — a break
  11. firm — a company
  12. branch — a division
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a ring
  17. root — of a plant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a music group
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rest — what's left

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