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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. current — of water
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. root — the cause
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cold — an illness
  7. row — a line
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. root — of a word

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