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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: root · cold · bear · suit · roll · branch · bat · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bear — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. branch — a division
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. root — of a word
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. roll — a list
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. root — the cause
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. root — of a plant
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cell — a phone

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