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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 120 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: bowl · branch · root · pop · race · fan · hand · dip

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pop — soda
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pop — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. root — the cause
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — of a plant
  19. race — a contest
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — a division
  23. root — of a word
  24. race — humankind

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