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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: branch · present · pitcher · fine · staff · root · mate · mine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. root — the cause
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. root — of a word
  9. present — there
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — a gift
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. branch — a division
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — all right
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — high quality

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