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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cold — not warm
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a music group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. court — for sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — of law
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — clothes
  18. vault — a safe
  19. date — the fruit
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — of a king
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — an illness
  24. root — the cause

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