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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: date · current · dip · band · fall · bay · root · cold

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. root — of a word
  3. current — happening now
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — of a plant
  11. date — the fruit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — of water
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. current — electric
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a rubber band

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