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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bass — low music
  4. root — of a word
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a ring
  7. swing — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bass — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a music group
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. net — for catching
  20. root — of a plant
  21. swing — to play on
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bass — the instrument

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