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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: saw · game · mug · band · firm · season · staff · root

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. firm — steady
  8. game — a match
  9. mug — a face
  10. firm — a company
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. saw — the tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. firm — decided
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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