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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I've got to change 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. bulb — of a plant
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — tied together
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — a trail
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — of a word
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bulb — for light
  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