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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — a stone
  6. last — final
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — finally
  12. root — the cause
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. band — a music group
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rock — music
  24. field — farmland

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