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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: game · root · branch · ground · cell · mug · wound · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. root — of a word
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — a position
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — to drill
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — to rob
  21. root — the cause
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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