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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lean — thin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. deal — to handle
  6. race — a contest
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — the underground
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — of water
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lean — to bend

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