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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a word
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. band — a music group
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — to crush
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. band — a rubber band

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