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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: root · pop · branch · wind · hand · march · pass · staff

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — a permit
  20. branch — a division
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pass — to spend time

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