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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: root · wind · mark · chair · pitcher · band · vault · ground

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. band — a music group
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. root — of a word
  15. mark — a trace
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. band — a ring
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wind — moving air

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