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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: toast · spell · chest · mate · sharp · wake · tube · root

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. toast — bread
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. tube — a container
  6. sharp — clever
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chest — a box
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — the cause
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — magic
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wake — a trail
  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