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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. root — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. root — of a word
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — for golf
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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