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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: root · dip · club · staff · band · mate · saw · fan

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — the cause
  6. club — for dancing
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. root — of a plant
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a music group
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — a stick
  15. club — for golf
  16. dip — to sink
  17. root — of a word
  18. band — a ring
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. dip — to dunk

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