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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 116 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: nail · band · firm · pound · leaves · scale · root · hand

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. firm — decided
  3. band — a music group
  4. root — the cause
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. root — of a word
  8. firm — a company
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. firm — steady
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. scale — size or range
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — of a plant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — in music
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a rubber band

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