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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a line of people
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — the earth
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — rain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a ring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — a position
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stand — to bear
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — boats

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