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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: season · chest · scale · object · track · root · firm · band

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. object — to protest
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — in sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. band — a music group
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — of the year
  9. object — a thing
  10. firm — a company
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a ring
  15. root — the cause
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — a song
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. firm — steady
  21. scale — in music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chest — of your body
  24. object — an aim

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