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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — soda
  5. track — a path
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — the cause
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cue — for pool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bore — to tire
  12. band — a ring
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cue — a signal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lean — thin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. track — a song
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. root — of a word

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