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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 120 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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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: wound · band · charge · root · saw · dip · squash · net

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. root — of a word
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. root — of a plant
  5. squash — the sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. saw — the tool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. root — the cause
  21. dip — to sink
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. net — in sport
  24. squash — to crush

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