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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. root — the cause
  4. tube — the underground
  5. root — of a word
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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