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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. shower — to wash
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — magic
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — a grade
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — electric
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — happening now
  22. spell — letters
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — a short time

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