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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tube — the underground
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. root — the cause
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cue — a signal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — a container
  24. cue — a hint

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