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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to tire
  18. root — the cause
  19. band — a music group
  20. stand — to bear
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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