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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.

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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: cabinet · club · face · object · root · fork · tear · band

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. face — to confront
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — a group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — an aim
  10. face — part of the head
  11. root — of a plant
  12. club — for golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a ring
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. fork — a garden 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