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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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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: root · kid · last · patient · game · dip · band · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. band — a ring
  3. last — finally
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — to tease
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — final
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a plant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. game — a match
  24. patient — a sick person

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