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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · chair · object · wind · bowl · spring · game · root

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — a match
  3. spring — the season
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. object — an aim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — the cause
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — to protest
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. root — of a word
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — of water
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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