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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. charge — a price
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a music group
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spell — letters
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — the cause

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