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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — the cause
  5. cell — in biology
  6. band — a music group
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. board — to get on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. swing — music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. swing — in golf
  24. board — a flat piece

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