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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — of a word
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — tied together
  14. root — of a plant
  15. field — a subject
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bark — to shout
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — to breed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — the cause
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. temple — side of the head

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