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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rule — a law
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — money
  13. root — of a word
  14. rule — government
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. cue — a signal
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — a city

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