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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lean — to bend
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spell — a short time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tube — a container
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spell — magic
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. key — the most important part
  19. capital — money
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — a city

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