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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to click
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — a subject
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — in control
  15. root — of a plant
  16. charge — a price
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. root — of a word
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. root — the cause
  24. bulb — for light

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