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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: root · band · object · court · land · wind · firm · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a ring
  4. land — a country
  5. root — of a word
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a music group
  8. firm — decided
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. firm — steady
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — for sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. object — an aim

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