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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: sharp · root · branch · press · dip · rule · hand · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — to sink
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — a country
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. rule — government
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — the cause
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. root — of a word
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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