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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: wind · tube · lash · root · ruler · track · dip · tear

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. root — the cause
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — a container
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tear — to rip
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. track — a path
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — of a word

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