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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. drill — army training
  7. fine — high quality
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. dip — to sink
  21. drill — a practice
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. root — the cause

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