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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: bound · band · cabinet · fan · fork · kid · root · pop

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — child
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. band — a ring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — of a word
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pop — soda
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fork — to eat with

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