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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spell — magic
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — letters
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fork — to eat with

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