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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. mug — a face
  5. root — of a word
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. shower — rain
  10. file — a document
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — finally
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — to go on
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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