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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 116 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: branch · cell · content · bay · hide · staff · root · band

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. band — a ring
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. root — the cause
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — a stick
  12. root — of a plant
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. root — of a word
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a music group
  22. content — the amount
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. staff — employees

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