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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. content — happy
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — in sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pop — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. root — of a word
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — of a river
  23. content — the amount
  24. net — after costs

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