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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — there
  5. bank — of a river
  6. present — the time now
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — the month
  9. root — of a word
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. present — a gift
  16. march — music
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — for money
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. root — the cause

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