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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. kick — in football
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — help

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