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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: spring · last · game · chip · mouse · root · tube · rule

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tube — a container
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tube — the underground
  11. game — a match
  12. chip — to eat
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — finally
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rule — government
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spring — of water
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. root — of a plant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — final

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