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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: ruler · race · last · fan · field · bear · root · band

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — final
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. band — a ring
  6. field — farmland
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. field — for sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — a subject
  22. race — humankind
  23. root — of a word
  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