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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in biology
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — of a word
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tube — the underground

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