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

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. fine — all right
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kid — child
  10. can — a tin
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tube — the underground

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