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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. net — in sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. present — there
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a ring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. net — after costs
  18. root — the cause
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. present — a gift

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