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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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