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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — the underground
  5. drill — army training
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — a container
  14. drill — a practice
  15. root — of a plant
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — music
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. drill — the tool
  24. swing — in golf

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