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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: safe · last · pop · trunk · root · tube · scale · mark

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. last — final
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pop — to visit
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — soda
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tube — a container
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — to go on
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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