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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. root — of a word
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tube — the underground
  6. staff — employees
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — a container
  22. cap — a hat
  23. staff — a stick
  24. root — of a plant

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