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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 124 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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stand — to bear
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hand — help
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — the sport
  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