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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. root — the cause
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pop — to visit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tube — the underground
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pop — soda
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — a position
  17. tube — a container
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — music

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