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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. root — the cause
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — completely

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