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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stem — to come from
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — the fruit
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. tube — a container
  24. root — the cause

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