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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: branch · clip · rest · land · dip · shower · mate · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — a division
  4. clip — a video
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — a country
  8. root — of a word
  9. mate — a friend
  10. root — of a plant
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — to cut
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — to come down
  17. dip — to sink
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rest — what's left

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