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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 120 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: cold · temple · branch · bear · lean · chip · root · pop

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lean — thin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. root — of a word
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cold — an illness
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bear — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — soda

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