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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — a subject
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. band — a ring
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. current — happening now
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. dip — to sink
  11. field — for sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. root — the cause
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — of water
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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