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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. lean — thin
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. staff — a stick
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. present — there
  16. root — the cause
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bulb — for light
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — a gift
  24. jam — in traffic

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