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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — the cause
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — a container
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rush — hurry
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. root — of a plant
  17. band — a ring
  18. mark — a grade
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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