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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. capital — a city
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. club — a group
  19. root — of a word
  20. dip — to sink
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wave — with your hand

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