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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: kid · charge · staff · root · ball · snap · degree · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — the cause
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. charge — electricity
  14. root — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. root — of a word
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. charge — a price

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