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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spring — the season
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — of water
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. spring — a coil
  19. deal — to handle
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. root — of a word
  23. cap — a lid
  24. capital — money

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