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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — ground
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mug — to rob
  12. root — of a word
  13. bore — to tire
  14. band — a ring
  15. mug — a cup
  16. land — a country
  17. root — the cause
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — a video
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. key — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. band — a rubber band

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