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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. cell — a phone
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. root — the cause
  7. bulb — for light
  8. file — a line of people
  9. root — of a word
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cell — in biology
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bulb — for light

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