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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. root — of a word
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. face — to point toward
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — the underground
  10. root — the cause
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — part of the head
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rash — hasty
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. face — to confront

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