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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — the cause
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a music group
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. track — a song
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. file — a document
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. root — of a word

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