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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 120 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: current · stick · tube · club · root · mark · cold · deal

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — a container
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — of water
  12. deal — to handle
  13. root — the cause
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — of a word
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. club — a group
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — electric
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. current — happening now
  24. root — of a plant

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