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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 116 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: leaves · cell · staff · branch · bay · row · root · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cell — in biology
  10. row — a line
  11. root — of a word
  12. staff — a stick
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cell — a phone
  20. staff — employees
  21. root — the cause
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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