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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. root — of a word
  13. fine — high quality
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — a container
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bear — the animal

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