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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: rest · root · band · safe · face · mouse · straw · pass

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rest — a break
  10. root — of a word
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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