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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. band — a music group
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. root — the cause
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a signal
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — in music
  17. band — a ring
  18. charge — electricity
  19. root — of a word
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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