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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: roll · kid · band · staff · face · bound · pitcher · root

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — obliged
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. kid — to tease
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. root — the cause
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — a cake
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a music group

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