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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — farmland
  4. root — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — a container
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitch — completely
  13. root — the cause
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tube — the underground
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — a subject
  24. staff — employees

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