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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 120 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. firm — steady
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. firm — decided
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spring — a coil
  10. swing — music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — in golf
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — a group
  23. firm — a company
  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