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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 · arm · band · sharp · mine · shower · bound · toast

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. sharp — clever
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — for digging
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. band — a ring
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. shower — to wash
  10. root — the cause
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — of a plant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — bread
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. root — of a word

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