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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · stick · file · branch · root · charge · mine · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. charge — a price
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mine — for digging
  9. branch — a division
  10. charge — in control
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — in sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. root — the cause
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. root — of a plant

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