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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — of a plant
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a ring
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. march — music

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