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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: hand · toast · mug · band · wound · snap · stand · root

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a word
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mug — to rob
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a music group
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hand — help
  24. mug — a face

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