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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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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: band · mouse · hand · root · race · pass · suit · content

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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 rubber band
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — the amount
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — happy
  8. pass — a permit
  9. band — a ring
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — the arms race
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. root — of a word
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. race — a contest
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. race — humankind
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hand — help
  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