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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. 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. last — to go on
  2. tube — a container
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — of a word
  5. last — finally
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — final
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. 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