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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: toast · file · bark · root · lean · cabinet · cell · branch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. branch — a division
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lean — thin
  11. cell — in biology
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — to bend
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. branch — of a tree

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