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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: band · root · chest · present · club · rash · bay · stem

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. root — of a plant
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. root — the cause
  8. present — the time now
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — to come from
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. present — there
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rash — hasty

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