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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — a division
  5. object — an aim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — a weight
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. object — to protest
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. root — of a word
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a music group

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