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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — the cause
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — the underground
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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