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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. root — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. root — of a word
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — the cause
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. band — a music group
  17. bound — certain
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bound — tied together
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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