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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. staff — a stick
  3. file — a tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. root — of a plant
  7. file — a document
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — of a word
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — a series
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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