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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — wild animals
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — to protest
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. object — a thing
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — a kind of play

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