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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. degree — temperature
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a music group
  7. root — of a word
  8. file — a line of people
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a ring
  11. current — of water
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a document
  24. craft — a skill

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