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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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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 · degree · leaves · saw · rest · root · chest · suit

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rest — a break
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. suit — to fit
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — a box
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. degree — an amount
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. suit — in cards
  22. degree — from a university
  23. band — a music group
  24. saw — the tool

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