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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — happy
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. clip — to cut
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — the cause
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — the most important part

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