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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — low music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — of a word
  14. bark — to shout
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. root — the cause
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a rubber band

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