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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tube — the underground
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — of a word
  11. pop — soda
  12. tube — a container
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. object — a thing
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. root — the cause
  20. object — an aim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kick — in football
  24. spring — the season

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