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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a music group
  7. root — the cause
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hand — help
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. root — of a plant
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring

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