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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — thin
  7. file — a document
  8. net — after costs
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. net — in sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to bend
  17. file — a tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. snap — to click
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a line of people

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