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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — certain
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — the cause
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — for light
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rash — a series
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — tied together

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