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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tube — a container
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — a division
  5. spell — letters
  6. tube — the underground
  7. root — the cause
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — of a plant
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. staff — employees
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bat — in an idiom

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