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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — a series
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — goods
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stock — shares
  10. mug — a face
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. root — of a word
  22. deal — to handle
  23. band — a ring
  24. hide — animal skin

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