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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. drill — the tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — army training
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a word
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mug — a face
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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