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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · club · race · pop · content · tear · bulb · root

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pop — music
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — of a word
  7. tear — to rip
  8. root — of a plant
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — a group
  11. content — happy
  12. tear — from crying
  13. content — the amount
  14. pop — soda
  15. race — a contest
  16. root — the cause
  17. club — for golf
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for dancing

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