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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a music group
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. track — a song
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — to keep track
  16. current — electric
  17. object — a thing
  18. fine — all right
  19. root — the cause
  20. track — a path
  21. root — of a plant
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — a supporter

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