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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. root — of a word
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a ring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. can — to be able to
  18. root — the cause
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rock — a stone

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