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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 · pass · leaves · game · band · stock · present · cabinet

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — a match
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. present — there
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — shares
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. leaves — of a tree

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