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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bank — for money
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — music
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. band — a music group
  9. root — of a word
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rock — a stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. root — the cause
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — a tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bank — of a river
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. band — a rubber band

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