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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. land — ground
  3. band — a music group
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — completely
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — a country
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — to come down
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mug — a cup

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