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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: ground · date · cell · roll · dip · chest · root · branch

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cell — in biology
  8. root — of a word
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — to sink
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chest — a box
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — a phone
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. root — the cause
  24. chest — of your body

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