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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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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — the cause
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — ground
  5. band — a music group
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — to cut
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. root — of a word
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. clip — a video
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spring — of water

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