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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. root — the cause
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a word
  10. content — the amount
  11. field — a subject
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — a position
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — of a plant

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