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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. suit — in cards
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tube — a container
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bound — certain

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