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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: ground · arm · tube · prune · track · wind · cap · root

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ground — crushed
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — the underground
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a song
  22. wind — moving air
  23. root — of a plant
  24. track — a path

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