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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — of ice
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — a hat
  12. root — the cause
  13. rule — a law
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — a line
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — government
  24. root — of a word

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