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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: band · root · fan · board · mine · tear · date · pass

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. band — a music group
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — the fruit
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — to get on
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. date — on the calendar

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