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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — for catching
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. spell — a short time
  19. root — the cause
  20. net — in sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — goods
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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