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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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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: root · straw · fall · net · sharp · cap · tube · firm

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — a container
  6. fall — to drop
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — a company
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — the season
  12. root — the cause
  13. tube — the underground
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. root — of a word
  22. cap — a lid
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cap — a hat

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