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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · straw · root · dip · bass · date · band · mine

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — for digging
  4. root — of a word
  5. dip — to sink
  6. scale — in music
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. scale — size or range
  10. band — a music group
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bass — low music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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