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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.

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 · field · bowl · root · rock · fan · cap · saw

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cap — a hat
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rock — a stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — a subject
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — a supporter

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