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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: root · bay · field · mark · wave · rule · straw · tube

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rule — government
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rule — a law
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. field — farmland
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — a subject
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tube — a container
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — for sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. root — of a plant
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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