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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — the cause
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. track — to keep track
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — a song
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — in sport

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