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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a ring
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. staff — employees
  18. cell — a phone
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. staff — a stick

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