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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: spring · wound · row · branch · fine · trunk · key · root

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fine — all right
  6. key — in music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — a line
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — to paddle
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — high quality

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