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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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Word bank
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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. root — the cause
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. band — a music group
  11. root — of a word
  12. rock — a stone
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — hasty

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