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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rock — a stone
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to click
  12. rock — music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — the cause
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — the animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. content — happy
  24. root — of a word

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