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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — ground
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — a country
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — a path
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — in a road
  17. root — of a word
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chest — a box
  22. land — to come down
  23. drill — army training
  24. cap — a lid

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