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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a plant
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. root — of a word
  12. bulb — for light
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — a series
  24. nail — for a hammer

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