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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rule — government
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — of a word
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rule — a law
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cue — for pool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. root — the cause

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