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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: rock · straw · tube · root · lie · prune · chip · dip

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — a stone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. root — the cause
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. root — of a plant
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — of a word

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