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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. band — a ring
  15. capital — money
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. root — of a word
  18. capital — a city
  19. band — a music group
  20. chair — a leader
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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