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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — of water
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chip — for betting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — the season
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — of the year
  10. pop — soda
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. pop — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pound — a weight

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