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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. root — the cause
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. root — of a word
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. foot — a measure
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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