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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: coach · cold · branch · last · leaves · rest · root · bulb

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. cold — an illness
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — of a word
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — for light
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. root — the cause

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