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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.

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: mine · kid · mouse · tube · root · march · rock · rash

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — the underground
  7. root — of a word
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. march — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — music

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