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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — a break
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — the underground
  16. current — happening now
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bass — the fish
  20. root — the cause
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. bass — low music
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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