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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — for golf
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — a partner
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mate — a friend
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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