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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lean — thin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bore — to drill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. root — of a word
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — a country
  16. bulb — for light
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. bore — to tire
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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