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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the fish
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — the cause
  15. dip — to sink
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bass — the instrument

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