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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. root — of a word
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. date — the fruit
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. drill — army training
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — thin
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — the cause
  24. wound — an injury

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