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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. last — finally
  14. tube — a container
  15. ball — a great time
  16. root — of a word
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. root — the cause
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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