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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to click
  7. root — the cause
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — a subject
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — for sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bank — of a river
  20. root — of a word
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bank — for money
  24. tube — in a tire

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