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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — in a race
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. root — the cause
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pit — a hole
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — the season
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — of water
  21. root — of a word
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. patient — a sick person

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