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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. root — of a word
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — of a plant
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. pop — soda
  10. race — the arms race
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — a video
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bear — the animal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — the cause
  22. tube — the underground
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pop — 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