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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spell — magic
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — rain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. current — electric
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — to tease
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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