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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bass — low music
  4. band — a ring
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — the cause
  7. cold — not warm
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — in a road
  14. root — of a word
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. bound — certain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bound — tied together

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