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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: root · straw · pop · can · kick · wound · march · branch

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. root — of a plant
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — music
  10. branch — a division
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — the cause
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. can — to be able to
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. kick — in football
  24. pop — music

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