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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a ring
  6. root — the cause
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. root — of a plant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — of a word
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. scale — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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