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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. can — to be able to
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — obliged
  18. band — a ring
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cold — not warm
  23. swing — in golf
  24. scale — for weighing

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