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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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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: club · game · ruler · rest · root · wake · band · land

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rest — what's left
  3. root — the cause
  4. game — a match
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. land — a country
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. band — a ring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a music group
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — a break
  19. club — a group
  20. land — ground
  21. root — of a word
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ruler — for measuring

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