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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — shares
  6. capital — a city
  7. root — the cause
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — goods
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — hasty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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