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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: tube · row · wind · straw · root · cap · foot · patient

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — the cause
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. root — of a word
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cap — of ice
  14. root — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — in a tire

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