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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — for digging
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. row — a line
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. root — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ball — a great time
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to bend
  24. root — the cause

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