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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. root — of a word
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. file — a tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a line of people
  11. suit — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. file — a document
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. snap — to click
  19. suit — to fit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rest — a break

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