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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — in sport
  3. track — a path
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. net — after costs
  8. root — of a plant
  9. track — a song
  10. root — of a word
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. root — the cause
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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