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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. root — of a word
  7. field — a subject
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. field — farmland
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pit — a hole
  16. root — the cause
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — money
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — a city
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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