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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — a container
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. root — of a word
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. root — the cause

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