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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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 plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cold — an illness
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bound — certain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cue — a hint
  16. root — of a word
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a friend

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