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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lean — to bend
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — a line
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pop — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. pop — soda
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — thin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. root — of a plant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. band — a ring
  24. pop — to visit

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