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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a music group
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a ring
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — the cause
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — moving air

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