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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a great time
  9. root — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — of a word
  13. season — of the year
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bore — to drill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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