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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. root — of a word
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — to come from
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — the cause
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. court — of law
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. court — for sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — of a plant

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