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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. root — of a word
  3. firm — steady
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — a company
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. firm — decided
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — of a king
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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