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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
468
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: mine · object · drill · tube · capital · root · key · bear

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. root — of a word
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. object — an aim
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — money
  17. object — a thing
  18. tube — the underground
  19. capital — a city
  20. key — in music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. root — the cause
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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