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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — the season
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lean — thin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — to turn a key

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