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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — the cause
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a music group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. clip — a video
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — of the year
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — of a word
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — in sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — employees
  17. present — there
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — to add flavour

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