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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — tied together
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — obliged
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. root — of a plant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. root — of a word
  23. band — a music group
  24. sharp — clever

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