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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: cell · band · bound · shower · root · mug · rush · mark

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mark — a trace
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — of a plant

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