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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kid — to tease
  4. tube — the underground
  5. root — the cause
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — a series
  8. firm — a company
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — of a word
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kid — child
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. firm — steady
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lie — to recline
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. firm — decided
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bass — the instrument

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