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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. file — a tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — goods
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. root — of a word
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. board — a committee
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — shares
  23. root — the cause
  24. band — a rubber band

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