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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. root — of a word
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. band — a ring
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — the cause
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. board — to get on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a music group
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. root — of a plant

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