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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. root — the cause
  11. pound — a weight
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. nail — for a hammer

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