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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bulb — for light
  9. foot — a measure
  10. file — a tool
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. toast — bread
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — of a plant
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — of a word
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. file — a document
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. season — in sport

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