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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 · fine · band · scale · safe · mine · pound · branch

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. root — of a word
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — in music
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a music group
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. root — of a plant
  24. safe — out of danger

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