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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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468
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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tube — a container
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — the underground
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. march — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — the cause
  23. pop — to visit
  24. tube — in a tire

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