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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — a container
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — a country
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. root — the cause

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