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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: kick · game · charge · rest · band · saw · root · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. band — a ring
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. root — the cause
  20. charge — in control
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. band — a music group

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