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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a ring
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wound — an injury

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