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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · current · staff · root · hide · snap · cold · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. staff — employees
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. current — electric
  10. tube — the underground
  11. root — the cause
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — a stick
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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