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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tube — a container
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. can — a tin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. root — the cause
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — in a tire

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