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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: mine · tube · root · bore · present · kid · season · race

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — the cause
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. root — of a plant
  7. present — the time now
  8. season — of the year
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — humankind
  11. bore — to tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — there
  17. root — of a word
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — in sport
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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