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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — a company
  3. kid — child
  4. band — a ring
  5. root — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — to rob
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mug — a face
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — a trail
  18. root — of a word
  19. staff — a stick
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a cup
  24. staff — employees

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