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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. root — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — for light

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