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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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 — in a tire
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. root — of a plant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. root — of a word
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  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