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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. tube — a container
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — rain
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. dip — to sink
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kick — in football

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