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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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Word bank
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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: pit · fork · object · bear · tube · land · prune · root

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — the cause
  9. land — to come down
  10. object — an aim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. object — to protest
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. root — of a word
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. fork — in a road

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