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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — child
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. kid — to tease
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mug — a cup

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