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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. root — of a plant
  13. craft — a skill
  14. root — of a word
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spell — magic
  22. root — the cause
  23. field — a subject
  24. tube — in a tire

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