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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: season · branch · root · wax · rule · cell · bark · rock

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. root — of a word
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cell — a phone
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rule — a law
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wax — to grow
  22. root — the cause
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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