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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. root — of a word
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. root — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cue — a hint
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — the cause
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — to breed
  24. file — a document

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