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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — to trim

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