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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: rash · content · wind · bear · branch · root · pitch · racket

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a plant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — of a word
  7. content — the amount
  8. root — the cause
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. branch — a division
  15. content — happy
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — moving air
  24. branch — of a tree

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