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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cap — a hat
  4. content — happy
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — to tease
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. content — the amount
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. root — of a word
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — to roll

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