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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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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 · shower · rock · rule · face · band · mark · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — government
  10. rock — a stone
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. band — a ring
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — rain
  24. root — of a word

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