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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stock — shares
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. band — a music group
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. current — happening now
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. band — a ring
  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