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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: staff · tube · root · tear · spell · march · saw · fine

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fine — all right
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — magic
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. staff — a stick
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. spell — letters
  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