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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tear — to rip
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. file — a document
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. file — a line of people
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — after costs
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — final
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a tool
  24. squash — to crush

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