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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pop — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. root — the cause
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spring — a coil
  24. leaves — to go away

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