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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. root — the cause
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — to push
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — to paddle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. clip — a video
  14. root — of a word
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fork — in a road

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