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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pop — music
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. track — to keep track
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. track — a path
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a ring
  24. hide — animal skin

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