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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. root — of a word
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. root — the cause
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — a container
  18. branch — a division
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. hand — help
  24. straw — a straw man

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