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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. root — the cause
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. shower — rain
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — to fit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bank — of a river
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. fork — in a road
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. fork — a garden tool

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