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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a great time
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. spring — of water
  11. last — final
  12. tube — a container
  13. root — of a word
  14. tube — the underground
  15. drill — army training
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. root — the cause
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. last — to go on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spring — the season

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