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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. root — of a word
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. root — the cause
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. band — a music group
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rock — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lean — thin

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