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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. root — of a word
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. swing — to play on
  24. root — the cause

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