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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. root — of a word
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — to go away

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