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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — after costs
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spring — the season
  8. rest — a break
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — low music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — before a funeral

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