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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. root — the cause
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bass — low music
  5. root — of a word
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — for digging
  18. root — of a plant

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