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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — the underground
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — the cause
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. root — of a word
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — a subject
  15. root — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tube — a container
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — letters
  24. roll — a list

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