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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — the cause
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. jam — a tight spot

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