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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — the cause
  16. band — a ring
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — help
  22. root — of a word
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a rubber band

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