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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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Word bank
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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: content · bulb · hand · root · foot · lean · bat · dip

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lean — thin
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. root — the cause
  15. lean — to bend
  16. content — the amount
  17. hand — help
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — of a plant

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