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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: root · march · mate · coach · hand · band · dip · fork

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — help
  9. root — the cause
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mate — a friend
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a partner
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. root — of a word
  24. dip — a sauce

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