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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: cabinet · tear · band · sharp · root · wave · cold · ruler

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — not warm
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. root — of a word
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — an illness
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. sharp — clever
  22. band — a music group
  23. wave — with your hand
  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