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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 124 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. band — a music group
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kid — child
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. toast — bread
  9. row — to paddle
  10. land — a country
  11. row — a line
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — of a word
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. band — a ring

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