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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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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: bass · snap · branch · content · bay · nail · root · foot

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. foot — a measure
  4. root — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — happy
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. branch — a division
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bass — low music
  21. content — the amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. branch — of a bank

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