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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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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: row · kid · date · toast · hide · tube · root · pop

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — of a word
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — a line
  8. kid — child
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tube — a container
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — of a plant
  18. toast — bread
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hide — to keep secret

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