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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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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: lie · root · bound · tube · pop · tear · capital · straw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. root — the cause
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — of a word
  8. pop — soda
  9. capital — a city
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. capital — money
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lie — an untruth

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