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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — bread
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pound — a weight
  12. root — the cause
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — of water
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. toast — the most admired

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