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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 116 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. root — of a plant
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ground — a position
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — for betting
  22. root — the cause
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pitch — completely

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