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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · stem · wind · wound · bay · root · tube · racket

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. tube — a container
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tube — the underground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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