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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. land — a country
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stand — to bear
  9. tube — a container
  10. land — to come down
  11. object — an aim
  12. club — for golf
  13. root — of a word
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spring — the season
  17. object — to protest
  18. club — a group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. root — the cause
  21. object — a thing
  22. land — ground
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. root — 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