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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mark — a trace
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — a position
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a great time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hand — help

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