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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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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: track · mate · spell · ball · cell · root · branch · chest

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — of a plant
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spell — letters
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chest — a box
  12. root — of a word
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — a song
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ball — a great time
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. root — the cause
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chest — of your body

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