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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — a series
  3. bulb — for light
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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