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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · cell · mine · court · sharp · bulb · firm · root

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. root — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. firm — steady
  16. sharp — clever
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — a phone
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — the cause

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