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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · root · club · last · straw · mine · pop · stock

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — music
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — finally
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — for digging
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — final
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. club — a group

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