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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. drill — army training
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. drill — the tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — a trail
  20. root — the cause
  21. tube — a container
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — a jug

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