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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: root · dip · roll · file · tube · wax · kid · club

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — a container
  4. club — for dancing
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. root — the cause
  16. club — for golf
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — to tease

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