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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a ring
  3. root — of a word
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — the season
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — a weight
  21. clip — a video
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — certain
  24. fall — to drop

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