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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. roll — a list
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. root — the cause
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. snap — to click
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. roll — a cake
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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