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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 120 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: spell · bore · rash · scale · snap · root · tube · chest

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. root — of a word
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — in music
  12. snap — to click
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. root — the cause
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a plant
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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