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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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