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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. band — a music group
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a ring
  5. root — of a plant
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. capital — money
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. mate — to breed
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. foot — a measure
  18. root — the cause
  19. net — for catching
  20. capital — a city
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. temple — side of the head
  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