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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a music group
  3. rock — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — to go on
  7. staff — employees
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — the tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. staff — employees
  15. last — final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — finally
  19. scale — size or range
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. root — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — a stone

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