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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cap — of ice
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kid — child
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rule — government
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rule — a law
  24. pass — to spend time

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