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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fine — all right
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. tube — a container
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. bank — of a river
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bank — for money
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. drill — army training
  16. pop — music
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. bank — for money
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. drill — a practice

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