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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. root — of a word
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — a container
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ground — the earth
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — for catching
  20. root — the cause
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — a position
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fan — a supporter

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