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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. root — the cause
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tube — a container
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fork — in a road
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — a break
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — clothes

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