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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — the cause
  3. band — a ring
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a music group
  8. rock — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rest — a break
  13. root — of a word
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fall — to drop
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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